Chris DeLorenzo is one the most talented designers out there to me, im absolutely in love with his work, and I’m pretty sure the Johnny Cupcakes fans are too. Chris is the head designer at Johnny Cupcakes and spends his days designing t-shirts, posters and lots more. I was chuffed when Chris agreed to do an interview for Probably Best and I think its a great read!
Q: Hey Chris, how have you been and what have you been up to?
Hey Megan, I have been hard at work making posters, t-shirts, logos, playing music, and adventuring, and when I am not adventuring, I am planning to.
Q: Right lets get cracking! Did the desire to make artwork come at a very young age for you?
Yes, every since I can remember I was the “art kid” all throughout grade school. I used to love redrawing comic books and crafting just about anything that my parents told me not to.
Q: What is one of the first things you remember creating?
I decorated a spoon when I was in preschool with fuzzy colored balls and strings and googily eyes, and gave him feather hair. I’d say that was my first experience with anthropomorphizing the things around me. It led me into a strange life, and now everything has eyes and looks back at me…
Q: At university you studied graphic design, what made you decide to go to university instead of continuing to teach yourself?
I knew I wanted to go to college, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to an all art school or a university that had a good art program. I chose the latter and I am very happy with my decision. The classes that didn’t involve my major were some of my most important classes because they diversified my interests and gave me a well-rounded approach to my school projects. I also wanted to meet people that did more than just art, I wanted to meet business minded kids, scientists, engineers, environmentalists, etc, etc, because they are the people we eventually design for and do business with.
Q: Do you think that if you didn’t go onto further education you would be as successful and talented as you are now?
I don’t think so. I could have ended up teaching after school art or working as a janitor for all I know (which I did at one point.)
The opportunities I have had because of my school are what got me to where I am today. I learn by experience and I grow as I go, so I don’t think I could have gotten this far without the experiences I have had. I probably would have become an artist who does watercolors of boats and sells them in port towns.
Q: What is it that attracts you so much to the vintage 1940′s artwork you produce?
What amazes me is how today we try so hard to achieve a vintage style with modern technologies but we will never come close to doing it as good as those that came before us. And nobody even really knows how all that stuff was made. The graphic processes of yesterday are still a mystery to me, I’ve grapsed all I could through books but I think a time machine is what is in order to help me understand. I love the whimsy of old illustrations and their typography and the way things were made – that perfect amount of texture and error – create this certain personality that says “a human tried something”. There weren’t real standards for branding and there was a lot of experimentation and I think seeing that sort of freedom with decision making is still something that fascinates me. The way they could tell so much with so little – just a few lines and some shapes – because of their restraints with production is something I try to keep in mind when designing.
Q: Do you have any tips you could share with us on how you achieve this vintage look?
I don’t really know if I have a look yet. There are still a lot of sketches that haven’t seen the light of day that through their execution I hope to find a voice. I can say that I love to draw and do typography by hand. I have a texture library and I just experiment with all different kinds of processes. Design ninja’s have to know how to wield a pen, a pencil, a paintbrush, a stylus and a mouse. They need to be prepared to battle on any ground – Photoshop, Illustrator, walls, paper. So I guess I am still trying to find my dojo. (where did that ninja analogy come from?)
One of the best things I did to help me was to just draw everyday and make your own alphabets. Teaching myself how to make letters was very important because it gave me an understanding of their anatomy and therefore I am able to manipulate them with greater flexibility. And then seeing how changing them ever so slightly can make them have a totally different voice. Like an “R”. If you make the arm and the bowl connect in the middle of the stem it looks like a regular bland R. But, if you make them connect at about 3/4 of the way down the stem all of a sudden it has the retro 1930′s look. Those little nuances in typography have been helpful to understand.
Q: What’s the story behind how you became Head Designer for Johnny Cupcakes?
I basically wanted to leave my advertising job in NYC so I emailed some companies – thinking I was going to go freelance – and then out of the blue Johnny emailed me 3 months after I emailed him and offered me to take over the head design position. I was only looking to do a shirt or two, I didn’t expect to be given a full time position. I didn’t even know he had full time position people. The main designer before me was Clark Orr and since working for JC he has become a huge inspiration and influence on my work. I didn’t even know the market, I just knew I wanted to design, so I quickly learned the ropes and along with a great team we have been growing the brand and venturing into new territory.
Q: How have you found working for Johnny Cupcakes? Is it as amazing as it seems; am I right to be incredibly jealous?
At the point in my life right now it is such a great experience. To be young and overseeing an entire brands design and product output is an opportunity many people don’t get to have and I am truly grateful for everything. It is really something to work for such a diverse group of people that all share the same passion and goal. The brand kind of feels like that tour ride of Universal Studios – there is excitement, wonder, mystery, and memories around every corner. We travel, play basketball, have cookouts, have sleepovers, we are meeting new friends all the time, and learning along the way. After working for a small team I will never go back to working for a big company. Most of my friends just say “I hate you” when I tell them what I do. We should all have something we are passionate about. Fooling yourself into thinking that that passion has no economic stability or that there are no jobs in that field or that you’re not good enough is an excuse for you not thinking or trying hard enough. One of our new mantras at work is “Do more of what makes you happy.” and I think everyone can take something from that.
Q: What would you say is a normal week at work for you?
I wake up and either go for a run or hit snooze three times. We have our monday group meetings and talk about good things that have happened and upcoming projects. Then I start designing, and then I start getting distracted and interrupted and then I call it quits for the day. I like to work from home on Wednesday so that I can blaze through some projects without any distractions, (you’d be surprised how much office chatter takes away from your focus on a project.) We always go out to lunch and that usually ends up becoming a business meeting. Then we end the day with some basketball shooting and roast marshmallows by a campfire (ok that doesn’t happen.) But throughout the week there is always some sort of event or photoshoot that we are going to.
Q: Have you got much planned for the future? Im sure you are always full of new ideas!
Personally, I am going to be in a few art shows out in LA and I am trying to start a little project with a designer friend of mine, Dan Blackman. Professionally, we are going to release a lot more new product this year and plan a lot more adventures. I have a lot of ideas but I am just not sure how to go about doing them yet. So stay tuned.
Q: And most importantly would you rather be attacked by 100 mouse sized giraffes or 1 giraffe sized mouse ?
Definitely 100 moused size giraffes. Because if I can catch at least 1 and train it, then my money problems are over.
Q: Thanks for your time Chris its been great talking to you! Im truly jealous of your talent and working for Johnny Cupcakes. Do you have any
last words for our readers out there?
Make connections. Friend everybody. Nobody is in it by themselves, so talk to people, collaborate, stay in touch. If you can’t get people to like your art on its own, then make a connection with them. It’s like new bands – nobody likes them because they haven’t heard them before. But, once your friend starts to listen to it, you want to listen to it, therefore you aren’t listening to just the band anymore you are part of something more personal, more connected. That is like art. you have to keep doing it until a community and a world starts to emerge, then use that community to further the art and its purpose and place in the world. Did that make sense? Basically, just don’t cut your ear off.